Best credit cards for going green

By Curtis Arnold, Editor-in-chief

Updated, February 11, 2015

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When Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson envisioned the first Earth Day in 1970, environmental activists achieved more than they could have imagined. The years that followed saw the launch of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Since then, companies have worked harder to balance business demands and environmental protection goals.

Credit card issuers have hopped on the bandwagon, tying their reward credit card offers to donation schemes that funnel funds to environmentally oriented nonprofits. Not all cards are as green as they claim; industry observers often accuse banks of "greenwashing" their most basic cards with logos of well-known charities, without addressing long-term environmental preservation efforts. However, the CardRatings.com editorial team has identified six of the best credit cards from lenders who have committed to help improve the quality of air, water and life all over the world.

Biodegradable Discover Card

Discover launched the first biodegradable credit card in 2008, utilizing a special type of PVC that almost completely breaks down after about five years of exposure to landfill conditions. You can specifically request a biodegradable card, and many a Discover Card is issued in that form by default.

Discover helped pioneer paperless credit card statements, eliminating millions of pounds of paper from landfills each year. As a cardholder, you can also earmark your CashBack Bonus rewards for automatic donations to charities.

The Nature Conservancy Card

Bank of America manages this affinity Visa program, issuing credit cards manufactured from at least 55 percent recycled material. When you open a BankAmericard Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® credit card for The Nature Conservancy new account, you can receive a $100 cash rewards bonus after you make at least $500 in purchases in the first 90 days and Bank of America will contribute an additional $100 to The Nature Conservancy while charging no annual fee.

You can earn cash back on each qualified purchase on BankAmericard Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® credit card for The Nature Conservancy, which you can either have it deposited into your Bank of America checking or savings account, credited to your statement or sent directly to you. Bank of America also makes an additional contribution every time you make a purchase with the card. Be sure to see the application for details.

ReDirect Guide Visa

The ReDirect Guide tracks sustainable businesses in Colorado, Utah and the Pacific Northwest. In partnership with Beneficial State Bank (formerly One PacificCoast Bank) and Sustainable Travel International, the ReDirect Guide Visa offers discounts at green businesses and makes automatic cash donations that pay for carbon offsets.

For each purchase made using the card a percentage of the interchange income is divided between Beneficial State Bank and Sustainable Travel International. According to bank officials, this relatively small carbon offset program has already generated the equivalent of removing 47 passenger vehicles from the road.

Permaculture Credit Union Visa

Editor's Note: Thank you for your interest, this offer has expired and is no longer available. Permaculture Credit Union has merged with Sandia Area Federal Credit Union.

For more than 10 years, Permaculture Credit Union, a small credit union in New Mexico, has helped build support for sustainable living by investing in local businesses that care for the earth and its people. So far, the credit union has lent more than $15 million toward sustainable farming, energy-efficient homes and environmental education.

This rewards credit card offers free airline tickets for as little as 20,000 rewards points, while offering you the opportunity to reinvest your rewards back into the local community. Membership in the credit union is available by making a minimum deposit of $50.

Seacology Visa

Editor's Note: Thank you for your interest, this offer has expired and is no longer available.

You may know the Capital One Card Lab from the bank's television ads. However, the same technology that lets you customize your own credit card also allows charities the power to build their own affinity programs. Seacology uses the Card Lab Connect program to generate donations of your rewards which you earn using the card, 2 percent of each purchase at gas stations and major grocery stores and 1 percent on other purchase made with its Visa card.

The Berkeley-based nonprofit uses those funds to protect endangered species, island habitat, and coral reefs throughout the world. Meanwhile, Capital One has used its growth to fund green construction at it Virginia and Texas corporate campuses, earning some of the world's highest accolades for its environmentally-friendly office buildings.

A recent CardRatings.com survey indicated that as few as 1 in 100 credit card users redeem their rewards points for charitable donations. These six cards offer effortless ways to support organizations that live Earth Day's ideals every day, while rewarding lenders who have committed themselves to improving the environment for their employees and customers.

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